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By John Schlegel
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MLB.com |

• Cody Ross made his Cactus League debut as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning Sunday, striking out against Brewers left-hander Will Smith. Ross has been recovering from a dislocated hip sustained in August, and he had been building toward the season in Minor League games to this point.

Gibson said the club was hoping to see Ross back in the outfield in a Minor League game within the week. "He is making progress, and he's running harder on a daily basis," Gibson said.

• A swarm of bees caused two delays early in Sunday's game, a phenomenon that has happened before at Salt River Fields and that also happened at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Sunday. And who knew Gibson was such a fan of those little buzzers?

"Somebody's sweet out there, huh?" Gibson said. "Actually, you know, bees are good. People say they don't like bees, but environmentally it's important to see that they're still around today, serving a purpose."

• The crowd of 12,871 fans for Sunday's game surpassed the previous Salt River Fields record of 12,864, set last March 24 vs. the Mariners.

John Schlegel is a national reporter for MLB.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @JohnSchlegelMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.